Location-matrix based user equipment band scanning

ABSTRACT

An electronic device configured to operate in two frequency bands having significantly different coverage areas receives coordinates associated with a smaller coverage area over a frequency band having a larger coverage area. The coordinates allow the electronic device to only power up the associated radio and search for a base station of the smaller coverage area when the electronic device is in the area described by the coordinates. This allows the electronic device to achieve significant power savings compared to even infrequent random polling to determine when a base station of the smaller coverage area radio system is available.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. Pat.No. 11,419,117, filed Sep. 17, 2020, entitled “LOCATION-MATRIX BASEDUSER EQUIPMENT BAND SCANNING,” which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No.10,813,095, filed Feb. 14, 2019, entitled “LOCATION-MATRIX BASED USEREQUIPMENT BAND SCANNING.” The entire contents of the above patents areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

An electronic device communicating via a wireless network must assesswhat networks are available for connections. Further, the electronicdevice must determine whether a more favorable network than the one inuse is available. For example, a mobile device capable of cellular andWiFi connections may continuously scan for available WiFi networks whenoperating on a wide area cellular network. When a preferred WiFi networkis available, the mobile device may switch from the cellular network tothe WiFi network.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a mobile electronic device may operate in geographicareas covered by more than one network operating in different frequencybands. One network may provide for relatively wide area coverage, forexample, with a radius on the order of kilometers. Another network mayprovide a radius of coverage of only hundreds of meters but may offersignificantly faster connection speeds and represent the more desirablenetwork from a performance perspective. However, for the electronicdevice to determine if a connection to the smaller coverage area networkis available may require frequent checking of that network's radio bandeven though statistically the chance of being in the coverage area isrelatively small. A result may be that a significant expenditure ofenergy may be devoted to determining if the more desirable network isavailable. This frequent checking has a negative impact on the batterylife of the mobile unit by requiring the radio associated with thesmaller coverage network to be frequently powered on to check for asignal in that band.

The need for blind checking for signal may be reduced, with acorresponding increase in battery life, by sending geographic indicatorsto the electronic device via the wider coverage area network. Thesegeographic indicators describe where the smaller coverage area networksignal is available. That way, the electronic device may activate thecorresponding radio only when it is in or about to enter the specifiedcoverage area. The geographic indicator may be in the form of a circlewith a specified center and radius, or in the form of a shape, such as apolygon, with geographic coordinate vertices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures depict a preferred embodiment for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art may readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 1 is a system illustration of an embodiment of an electronic deviceoperating in two frequency bands having disparate coverage areas inaccordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a system illustration of another embodiment of an electronicdevice operating in two frequency bands having disparate coverage areasin accordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a system illustration of a third embodiment of an electronicdevice operating in two frequency bands having disparate coverage areasin accordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a restricted space coverage areadescription in accordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of another restricted space coverage areadescription in accordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a base station configured for operation ina dual band radio system in accordance with the current disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electronic device configured foroperation in the dual band radio system in accordance with the currentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating the electronic device inthe dual band systems illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 ; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of operating the base station in thedual band systems illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For some time, electronic devices have been capable of communication onfrequency bands with different coverage areas. For example, somecellular telephones operate on a licensed broadcast frequency as well aswith a smaller coverage WiFi network. However, the electronic devicemust constantly search for suitable networks of both frequency bands.This searching requires radios operating in both bands to monitor forsignals from base stations or access points with which communication canbe established. In some cases, the electronic device may have apreference for one network over another, for example, based on cost,security, or data rates so that even though signal strength is adequateon one band, there is a preference to operate on the other band.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 supporting operation of an electronicdevice 102 operating in dual band communication system with coverageareas in accordance with the current disclosure. In this exemplaryembodiment, a first base station 104 may have a coverage area 106defined by center point X1, Y1 and having a first radius 108. The firstbase station 104 may include a first radio supporting communication withthe electronic device 102 via a radio operating at a first frequencyband. A second base station 110 may have a coverage area 112 generallydefined by a center point P1, P2 and radius 114. The second base station110 may have a second radio supporting communication with the electronicdevice 102 over a second frequency band. Even though coverage areas ofany radio system may vary due to terrain and other conditions, invarious embodiments, the radio of the first base station 104 may operateat a lower power and/or may have a limited coverage area compared to thesecond base station 110.

At a time when the electronic device 102 is in the second (larger)coverage area and in communication with the second base station 110, thesecond base station 110 may send a descriptor of the first coverage area106 to the electronic device 102. The descriptor may be in the form of alocation and radius, as shown here, or may be individual points orlocations, as discussed more below.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic device 102 may move from a portionof the coverage area 112 covered only by the second base station 110 toan area covered by both the first base station 104 and the second basestation 110. A location device in the electronic device 102, such as aGPS receiver, may provide information used by the electronic device 102to identify when the electronic device 102 is in the first coverage area106 as denoted by the descriptor. When the electronic device 102determines that communication with the first base station 104 should beavailable, a power management unit in the electronic device 102 mayenable power for the radio that communicates with the first base station110 followed by an attempt contact the first base station 104. Aftercontact is made, any on-going communication with the electronic device102 may be handed off to the first base station 104 from the second basestation 110.

In some embodiments, the first and second base stations 104, 110 may beco-located, while in other embodiments, as shown here, the two basestations 104, 110 may be in different locations. In many cases, thefirst coverage area 106 may be contained in the second coverage area112, but as shown in FIG. 2 , this isn't necessary. As illustrated inthe embodiment of FIG. 1 , the first coverage area 106 is completelyencompassed by the second coverage area 112. That is, the electronicdevice 102 could operate on the second frequency band at any time whileoperating on the first frequency band.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of location-matrix band scanningwhere the coverage areas 106 and 112 are not overlapping. In such anembodiment, the second base station 110 may still transmit a descriptorof the coverage area 106 of the first base station 104, even though theelectronic device 102 may only connect to the first base station 104after leaving the coverage area 112.

Another embodiment of location-matrix band scanning may be illustratedin FIG. 3 . Here, the coverage area 106 of the first base station 104may only partially overlap the second coverage area 112. As above, thesecond base station 110 may provide the description of the firstcoverage area 106 even though the electronic device 102 may leave thecoverage area 112 while communicating with the first base station 104.FIG. 3 also illustrates that in some embodiments the descriptor may notbe in the form of a center point and radius as shown above but may be inthe form of corner coordinates for a polygon. Even though the polygonillustrated has four corners, a valid descriptor may have any number ofpoints more than two. For example, there may be areas where due toterrain or an urban canyon the shape of the coverage area 106 may bevery irregular.

Another architecture supported by location-matrix band scanning may beillustrated in FIG. 4 . In this illustration, a coverage area 120 forthe first base station 104 (not shown in FIG. 4 for clarity sake) may bedescribed in terms of a volume. The coverage area 120 may be describedby a shape having corners C1-C8. These corners may represent in generalterms the shape of a room or rooms in which coverage is available. Forexample, some very high frequency signals may be blocked by pre-stressedconcrete walls so that coverage may be limited to line of sight. In oneembodiment, corners may be described with x,y coordinates for geographiclatitude and longitude. A z coordinate may be an elevation. In a similarembodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 , a coverage area 122 may expressed interms of a three dimensional location and a radius. For example, thefirst base station 104 may have an output signal power level that allowscalculation of coverage based on location and antenna type absentobstructions.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station 110 inaccordance with the current disclosure. The base station 110 may includea processor 130 that is in communication with a memory 132. The memory132 may include an operating system and utilities 134 used to manageoperations of the base station including booting, memory management,communications, error handling, software updates, etc. The memory 132may also store executable instructions 136 and data 144.

The base station 110 may have a radio 150 operating at a frequency bandthat provides for a coverage area 112 larger than that of anotherfrequency band in use by the first base station 104. For example, thebase station 110 may operate in a frequency band in the 700 MHzfrequency range with a coverage radius 114 of as much as 7 kilometers.In many prior art systems, wide area coverage was provided by anoverlapping network of similar band radios, operating at up to 2.5 GHz,but having similar coverage areas. 4G LTE is such an example. In suchsystems, the electronic device 102 may tell one base station when it isgetting a stronger signal from another base station so that a handoffbetween base stations can be executed.

However, in the new 5G (fifth generation cellular) standard, a mixedsystem of low band (e.g., 700 MHz base stations) may be intermixed withmillimeter wave radios operating in frequency bands around 50 GHz. Theseso called NR (new radio) radios may have a coverage radius of 500 metersor less depending on terrain and other obstructions. Unlike previoussystems, the 5G implementation mixes these bands with significantlydifferent coverage areas. As discussed above, this mismatch in coverageareas may cause an electronic device 102 operating these disparate bandsa reduction in battery life simply because the electronic device 102 mayneed to constantly activate its NR radio in search of a signal eventhough it may be nowhere near an NR coverage area 106, 120, 122.

The base station 110 may also include a network interface 152 used forrouting traffic from land-based switch gear (not depicted). The networkinterface 152 may also communicate with an external data source 154 asdiscussed more below.

The executable instructions 136 may include various modules or routinesthat are used for location-matrix based band scanning. For example, inan embodiment, the memory 132 may include a coordinate transmissionmodule 138, a coverage detection module 140, and a coverage calculationmodule 142. The data 144 may include coverage coordinates 146, ordescriptors, of the coverage area 106 of the first base station 104. Thedata 144 may also include coverage coordinates 148 for other basestations (not depicted) having small coverage areas compared to that ofthe second base station 110.

The coordinate transmission module 138 may be responsible fordetermining when an electronic device 102 is in the coverage area 112 ofthe base station 110 and to transmit coordinates of one or more smallercoverage areas 106 to the electronic device 102. As discussed above, thecoverage area 106 may only be partially within its own coverage area112, if at all. The coordinate transfer may be over the broadcastchannel as data or may be transmitted over a control channel, asbandwidth permits.

Another code module may be the coverage detection module 140. Coveragedetection may involve receiving location information from the electronicdevice 102 as the electronic device 102 is handed off either to or fromthe first base station 104. This location information may be combinedwith location information from other devices at the coverage calculationmodule 142 to form a locus of points defining the coverage boundary 106,120, 122. The coordinate data 146 may then be updated accordingly. Thismay be valuable especially in the case of millimeter wave systems, wheresome atmospheric conditions, temporary construction, etc. may affectbroadcast range. In another embodiment, coverage coordinates 146 may bereceived at the base station 110 from an external data source 154. Thebase station 110 may provide the location information from theelectronic device 102 regarding coverage boundaries to the external datasource 154 for use in refine the descriptors for the coverage area 106.In other embodiments, the coverage coordinates 146 may be determined bysurvey at the time of installation of the first base station 104 or maybe independently updated separate from any live use by the electronicdevice 102.

An embodiment of an electronic device 102 may be illustrated in FIG. 7 .The electronic device 102 may be a cellular telephone, a tablet, alaptop, etc. In other cases, the electronic device 102 may be any of anumber of items that increasingly rely on network connectivity, such asa vehicle or an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

The electronic device 102 may include a processor 160 and memory 162including an operating system and utilities 164, executable code 166that may include both native and downloaded applications, and datamemory 168. The data memory 168 may include coverage information forsmall coverage area frequency bands, such as coordinates or a descriptoras described above.

The electronic device 102 may also include a user interface 170 thatitself may incorporate a display 172 and input device 174 such as akeyboard or touchscreen. The user interface 170 may be used to provideinformation to a user regarding the availability and/or activity on thefirst frequency band. For example, in a 5G network, a visual or auditoryindicator may signal when the electronic device 102 is operating on a 5Gmillimeter wave cell. In another example, when a user is near a 5G NRcell, a map may be displayed via the display 172 showing the user thelocation of the NR cell along with the user's location. That way, theuser may decide whether to travel to the NR cell should it provide adesirable performance or cost benefit.

A location unit 176 may include a GPS receiver but may also rely on celltower triangulation, WiFi positioning (WPS), or other locationtechniques. (Unlike the currently disclosed system, WiFi positioningrequires a mobile device to constantly monitor for WiFi SSID and MACaddresses and use those with an external database to infer the locationof the device from the location the WiFi access point. The mobile deviceis required to continuously look for and identify WiFi access points ata possibly significant cost in battery life.)

The electronic device 102 may have at least two radio units. A firstradio 180 may operate at a frequency band corresponding to the firstbase station 104. In the 5G example, this may be a millimeter wave radiooperating in a range around 50 GHz. A second radio 182 may operate at alower frequency, for example, in a more conventional 4G frequency bandsuch as around 700 MHz up to around 2700 MHz. Of course, other radiosmay also be present, including Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, or more.

A power manager 178 may control power delivered to various devices inthe electronic device 102 based on operating mode in order to maximizebattery life. For example, when the battery is low, the power manager178 may reduce the brightness of the display 172. In the currentexample, the power manager 178 may turn off the first radio 180 whenprocessor 160 determines that the electronic device 102 is not in ageographic area for which coverage is likely. This conclusion may bebased on an analysis of coverage coordinates stored in the data memory168 and a current location of the electronic device 102 based oninformation from the location unit 176. When a determination is madethat the electronic device 102 is in or is likely to enter a coveragearea 106 at the higher frequency band, the power manager 178 mayactivate the first radio 180 so that an attempt to establishcommunication with the first base station 104 may be initiated.

The illustrated examples above are simplified for convenience and easeof understanding. It should be understood that more complex arrangementsof wide area and small area coverages are likely, including multiplehigh frequency cells with relatively small coverage areas in onecoverage area 112 or small area coverages overlapping large coveragearea boundaries.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method 200 of operating an electronic device102 in a dual-band radio environment. In an embodiment, the electronicdevice 102 may have a high frequency radio 180 operating in the 50-60GHz frequency band. The electronic device 102 may also have a lowerfrequency radio 182 operating in one or more conventional cellularfrequency bands, for example, between 700 MHz and 2700 MHz.

At block 202, a descriptor of a coverage area 106 of a first basestation 104 may be developed. The descriptor may be in the form ofeither two dimensional or three dimensional geographic coordinates, asdiscussed above, but may also be described by a location, such as anaddress of a coffee shop. In one embodiment, the descriptor may resultfrom an initial coverage survey. In another embodiment, the descriptormay be developed and/or refined by observation of electronic devicesentering and leaving the coverage area 106. This observation of coveragearea 106 may be relayed from the electronic device 102 to the basestation 110. In other embodiments, the location of the electronic device102 while in coverage may be relayed to the base station 104. In eithercase, a locus of points within the coverage area 106 may allow, overtime, an accurate descriptor of the coverage area 106 to be generated.

At block 204, the electronic device 102 may receive the descriptor andstore it in a data memory 168. Before or after receipt of the descriptorat block 204, at block 206, the electronic device 102 may place thefirst radio 180, that is the radio configured for use with the smallercoverage area base station 104, into a low power or off mode. In anembodiment, the power manager 178 may cause the first radio 180 to bepowered down.

A code module 166 may, at block 208, make periodic comparisons betweenthe descriptor of the coverage area 106 and the actual location of theelectronic device 102 using data from the location unit 176. In oneembodiment, this check may be once a minute. In another embodiment, thecode module 166 may use a more sophisticated approach and factor in acurrent proximity to the coverage area 106, as well as direction andspeed of the electronic device 102 to determine how often to check forproximity to the coverage area. For example, if velocity predictionsindicate that the coverage area 106 may be nearby or approaching, thefrequency of location checking may be increased. Conversely, since evenmaking the location comparison requires some power, the frequency oflocation comparisons may be reduced when no coverage area 106 is nearby.

When the comparison at block 208 indicates that no coverage area 106 isproximate, the first radio is maintained in the low power state andexecution continues at block 206. When the comparison at block 208indicates that the electronic device 102 is proximate to or within thecoverage area 106, at block 210, the power manager 178 may activate thefirst radio 180 so that a communication protocol may be followed toestablish data communication with the associated base station 104.

At block 212, communication may continue with the first base station104. When that communication ceases and the electronic device 102 is nolonger in the first coverage area 106, the ‘yes’ branch from block 212may be taken to block 214. Generally in conjunction with a communicationhand off to the second base station 110, the electronic device 102 maydeactivate or power down the first radio 180. Optionally, at block 216,the electronic device 102 may send location data to the second basestation 110 indicating a location where the electronic device 102 lostcoverage of the first base station 104. Alternatively, the electronicdevice 102 may routinely relay signal strength of the first base station105 along with location data so that a more robust map of the coveragearea 106 may be developed. In any case, the data received from theelectronic device 102 may be used by the second base station 110 or theexternal data source 154 to update, as needed, the coverage descriptorof the first coverage area 106. Execution may continue at block 206 andthe process repeated.

FIG. 9 may be a flowchart of a method 240 of operating a base station110 that broadcasts over a coverage area 112 in conjunction with a basestation 104 that broadcasts over a smaller coverage area 106. At block242, descriptor of the coverage area 106 of the base station 104 may becaptured. As discussed above, this process may use any of several staticand dynamic methods. The descriptor of the coverage area 106 may bestored at the base station 110, for example, in a memory 144 at block244.

At block 246, the base station 110 may send the descriptor of thecoverage area 106 to the electronic device 102. The electronic device'suse of the descriptor is discussed above. A determination of whether tosend the descriptor to the electronic device 102 may depend on theelectronic device 102 having the ability to operate with the smallercoverage area base station 104. Optionally, at block 248, the basestation 110 may receive a location indicator from the electronic device102. The location indicator may correspond to the location of theelectronic device 102 when communication with the base station 104 waslost, indicating a boundary of the coverage area 106.

At least one technical effect of the system and method described aboveis the power savings to the electronic device 102 resulting from notpowering on the first radio 180 for the purpose of polling to see if afirst base station 104 is in range. Another technical effect, in thecase of a 5G embodiment, is reduced millimeter wave interference fromelectronic devices polling for a connection with an NR radio when nopossible connection exists because no NR base stations are nearby.Another technical effect is the real time updates to coveragedescriptors for NR base stations based on real time feedback fromelectronic devices starting and ending communication with the NR basestation. The ability to save this data at a base station 110 on anotherfrequency band makes capture of such information more robust, becausethe wider range of the, for example, 4G base station 110 allows morerobust reporting of the location of the NR coverage edge.

The current system and method benefit both system operators and users ofthe electronic device 102. System operators have improved overall systemperformance from well-defined NR radio coverage areas as well asimproved customer satisfaction from the increase in battery lifeafforded by having the radio 180 of the electronic device 102 poweredonly when the chance of connection is extremely high. Device usersbenefit from improved battery life while still enjoying the benefits ofthe higher performance NR radios when in a coverage area 106.

The figures depict preferred embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for thesystems and methods described herein through the disclosed principlesherein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have beenillustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosedembodiments are not limited to the precise construction and componentsdisclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and variations, whichwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in thearrangement, operation and details of the systems and methods disclosedherein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in anyappended claims.

1. A system for a dual-band radio environment, the system comprising: afirst base station having a first coverage area; a second base stationband having a second coverage area; and an electronic device including:a processor, and a memory including processor-executable instructionsfor: communicating with the first base station via a first radio and thesecond base station via a second radio, locally determining a geographiclocation of the electronic device, and activating the first radio whenthe electronic device is within the first coverage area based on thegeographic location.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first basestation operates at a first frequency band and the second base stationoperates at a second frequency band.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe second frequency band is lower than the first frequency band.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the second coverage area is larger than thefirst coverage area.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first radiocommunicates with the first base station using the first frequency band,and the second radio communicates with the second base station using thesecond frequency band.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronicdevice receives a descriptor of the first coverage area via the secondbase station.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor-executableinstructions for locally determining the geographic location of theelectronic device include processor-executable instructions forcomparing the geographic location to the descriptor of the firstcoverage area.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory includesfurther processor-executable instructions for reporting the geographiclocation when communicating with the first base station.
 9. The systemof claim 1, wherein the memory includes further processor-executableinstructions for reporting the geographic location to the second basestation when a signal from the first base station is lost.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first coverage area is completelyencompassed by the second coverage area.
 11. A computer-implementedmethod of operating an electronic device within two frequency bandshaving disparate coverage areas, the method comprising: communicatingwith a first base station via a first radio and a second base stationvia a second radio, the first base station having a first coverage area,and the second base station band having a second coverage area; locallydetermining a geographic location of the electronic device; andactivating the first radio of the electronic device when the electronicdevice is within the first coverage area based on the geographiclocation.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first base stationoperates at a first frequency band, the second base station operates ata second frequency band, and the second frequency band is lower than thefirst frequency band.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstradio communicates with the first base station using the first frequencyband, and the second radio communicates with the second base stationusing the second frequency band.
 14. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising receiving a descriptor of the first coverage area via thesecond base station, and locally determining the geographic location ofthe electronic device includes comparing the geographic location to thedescriptor of the first coverage area.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein activating the first radio of the electronic device when theelectronic device is within the first coverage area based on thegeographic location includes activating the first radio of theelectronic device when the electronic device is within the firstcoverage area based on the geographic location and a signal from thesecond base station is lost.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium storing instructions for operating an electronic device withintwo frequency bands having disparate coverage areas comprising:communicating with a first base station via a first radio and a secondbase station via a second radio, the first base station having a firstcoverage area, and the second base station band having a second coveragearea; locally determining a geographic location of the electronicdevice; and activating the first radio of the electronic device when theelectronic device is within the first coverage area based on thegeographic location.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein the first base station operates at a first frequencyband, the second base station operates at a second frequency band, andthe second frequency band is lower than the first frequency band. 18.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein thefirst radio communicates with the first base station using the firstfrequency band, and the second radio communicates with the second basestation using the second frequency band.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, further storing instructions forreceiving a descriptor of the first coverage area via the second basestation, and the instructions for locally determining the geographiclocation of the electronic device include instructions for comparing thegeographic location to the descriptor of the first coverage area. 20.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstructions for activating the first radio of the electronic devicewhen the electronic device is within the first coverage area based onthe geographic location include instructions for activating the firstradio of the electronic device when the electronic device is within thefirst coverage area based on the geographic location and a signal fromthe second base station is lost.